


a long way

by todoiidoriya



Series: the world in his arms [2]
Category: Hadestown - Mitchell
Genre: F/M, Orpheus has abandonment issues, and that's what this story is, he's.... sad, his dad is presumably missing/nonexistent?? idk god stuff is weird, his mom left him, his wife left him, like... the boys got some problems, listen I know they love each other but like, listen just think about it for a minute, me exactly one hour ago: i'm too busy to make this into a series right now, so anyway moral of the story I just love them too much, so here i am, they both hurt each other, they need some time to get back to where they were, they're clearly not okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-10-01 17:09:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20346118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/todoiidoriya/pseuds/todoiidoriya
Summary: It's a long walk, back into the cold and dark.Orpheus and Eurydice love each other with everything they have, but things can't just go back to the way they were. They have a long way to go.





	a long way

**Author's Note:**

> God okay so like I know I said literally not even 24 hours ago that I was leaving the ending up for interpretation but here I am again to mess it all up.

Eurydice drops Orpheus' hand as the train pulls out of the station, taking Persephone back to Hadestown. A cold wind picks up as it disappears from their sight, a sudden contrast to the warm summer breezes that have blown for the last six months. Eurydice shivers, wrapping her arms around herself, as Kore wraps her tiny arms around her father's leg. Orpheus picks her up, bundling her in his arms without a thought. None of them are prepared for the sudden cold weather, and Orpheus leads them all back along the Road to Hell. 

Hermes left sometime during their reunion, and Orpheus makes his way to the bar, knowing he'll find him there. It's a silent walk, Kore dozing lightly on his shoulder and Eurydice walking along beside him- Not behind him. Never behind him. 

There is a sort of tense energy buzzing between them. They both have wished desperately for this moment for months, but now that they're here, neither knows what to say. Orpheus feels a chill settle somewhere in the pit of his chest. He's not sure where they stand now.

The bar goes silent when they enter, Persephone's farewell party- continued long after her departure, one last celebration before the winter ends it all- coming to a sputtering halt when their eyes find Eurydice. Hermes is watching them both wordlessly from his seat in the back of the room. Even the whistling wind seems to quiet. 

All at once, loud cheers break out, jolting Kore from her sleep and sending the bar once more into an explosion of sound, the raucous singing and wild dancing resuming as if it were still that first day of summer, nearly two years ago now. Hermes offers Orpheus a sly smile, sitting back to watch the festivities unfold. The cold is coming on, sure to bring trials such as they have never known. But Orpheus grins, letting Kore down to make her way to Hermes, her favorite babysitter and begrudging "uncle", before turning to face Eurydice and offer his hand. She hesitates only a moment before letting him pull her into the festivities, twirling her about in a messy attempt at a waltz. 

There are trials ahead. Despite his boundless optimism, even Orpheus can see that. But tonight, he has his wife beside him, her smaller frame tucked safely in his arms and her familiar laugh ringing in his ears. For tonight, that is enough. 

For tonight, at least, his heart sings a song of love. And the world sings it with him.

* * *

The cold comes quickly, biting and angry, almost as if it's trying to make up for lost time. Orpheus, Eurydice, and Kore stay in a spare room over the bar, with no furniture besides a bed and a crib. They alternate shifts at the bar in exchange for their room and what little food they can scrounge up. The harvest was much better this year, but one good harvest doesn't do much to cancel out the many poor ones that preceded it. They have enough to feed Kore, and the rest split between them is enough to keep stomach pains at bay at least, though they both get slimmer than they should be. 

Between work, Kore, and the exhaustion that plagues both of them at the end of the day, they have little time to spend together, and even fewer chances to really talk. They sleep together, too cold for whatever tension there is to keep them apart, but Eurydice is always down in the bar by the time Kore and Orpheus wake up, and Orpheus is usually too busy entertaining the few patrons who still come regularly, even as snow begins to fall, to be with them when Kore and Eurydice fall asleep.

It's weeks before they both have the same day off, and even then there's little conversation between them. That evening is when the taught rope binding them both finally snaps. Once Kore is soundly asleep, they walk together down to the bar. It's an especially cold night, and the bar is empty. Even Hermes, who can usually be found cleaning glasses or meandering between the tables to talk with patrons, is nowhere to be found. They are the only ones here, and that gives Eurydice the courage she needs to slip quietly behind the bar and pour them both a drink.

Orpheus has never been one for drinking- and neither has she, not really- but they both can sense the heaviness in the air. They toss back the burning liquid, wincing at the taste, and Eurydice pours them each another before putting the bottle back where she found it and turning to face him. 

There are deep shadows under her cheekbones, and even deeper ones under her eyes. He wishes, desperately, that he could do something to soothe her discomfort, even if it meant adding to his own. (She wouldn't let him, of course, but it doesn't stop him wishing.)

"Eurydice..." he starts, setting his drink aside. He doesn't know what to say. It's a bit ironic, really, for Orpheus to be so at a loss for words. For the man- the boy, really- whose words brought the world back into tune, to not be able to string together a sentence for his wife.

She finishes her second drink, setting her empty glass beside his full one and looking up at him. 

"That winter," she says, not knowing what to say any more than he does. "What happened... it wasn't right. And I can't-" She stops for a moment, her gaze straying away from his face. "I can't keep doing this if we don't fix it."

Orpheus bites his lip. He wants to take her hand, but he doubts the gesture will be accepted. He has so many things he's wanted to say to her. He's been more scared than he'd like to admit. He doesn't know where to start, and he settles for finishing his drink instead of facing the prolonged silence. Eurydice sighs, biting her lip. 

"Orpheus..."

His fingers long for his guitar. For some distraction. He taps out a quick beat on the bartop, just for something to keep his mind focused. Neither one wants to speak first, and Orpheus feels the faintest flutters of irritation begin to stir in him. The feeling is alien to him, and he tries to smother it. They need to _talk_, and anger won't help anything. But the silence continues to stretch until Eurydice gets to her feet and starts to put the glasses away.

The faint buzz of alcohol and frustration in his system is the only thing that gives Orpheus the courage to speak. As she starts to leave the room, he slams his hand down on the counter and flies to his feet. 

"You _left _me!" He cries, his voice breaking with the emotion seeping into it. Eurydice freezes, clenching her fists at her sides. She doesn't respond, and Orpheus feels the words keep tumbling out. "I loved you, and you _left me!_"

For a moment they're both still, the words settling over them. Orpheus realizes numbly that he said "loved".

Eurydice turns to face him again slowly, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "I was starving, Orpheus. _We _were starving. I never wanted to leave, but..."

"But you did!" He interrupts, unable to stop himself. Sitting heavily down once more, he runs his hands impatiently through his hair. Nerves and anger and _hurt_ course through him like an electric current and he can hardly think. Pulling his knees up onto the seat, he hides his face in them, muffling his next words. "_Why did you leave?_"

Eurydice is silent for a long time. When she speaks again, her voice is choked with tears. Orpheus looks up immediately, and he's looking in her eyes when she says, "_Why did you turn around?_"

The words settle between them, and Eurydice's hands fly to her mouth as she realizes what she said. Guilt slams down on Orpheus with so much weight that he can't breathe, and he goes limp under the weight of it, his anger draining away so quickly that it leaves him dizzy. 

"Eurydice-" he chokes.

They're both crying, staring at each other across the empty bar. 

Confronted with everything they've said, Eurydice's heart plummets into the pit of her stomach, and she does what she's always done. She runs. 

* * *

She doesn't make it far. Orpheus finds her shivering on the steps of the bar, tears frozen to her face. He's calmed down as much as he can for now, and she's done the same. Slowly, he eases himself down beside her. 

"I shouldn't have left," she says softly, wringing her freezing hands in her lap. 

"I should have been there for you," he replies, trying to pour every ounce of regret into his voice. "I shouldn't have made you leave."

She takes his hand, her cold skin sending a jolt through him. "You didn't... You didn't make me leave."

"You called my name," he whispers, insistent. 

She kisses his cheek, then touches their foreheads together. "You came," she whispers back.

* * *

They don't stay out in the cold for much longer. They're both shivering when they make their way back inside, finding Hermes behind the bar once more, cleaning their glasses. They freeze, caught, but Hermes simply waves them towards the stairs with an exasperated sigh, not even looking up from his task. 

They both kick off their shoes and slip into bed fully clothed, too cold to even consider changing into something else. Orpheus pulls Eurydice against him like he always has, bundling her in his arms. She surprises him, rolling over to face him and wrapping her arms around him as well. Orpheus presses a soft kiss to her forehead, and she does the same to his jaw. 

They have a long way to go, but they're together again, and everything else will work itself out in time. At least for tonight, they're okay. 

They'll be okay. 


End file.
